Protecting Your Online Identity: Meghan Markle’s American Riviera Orchard Domain Hijack

The case of the American Riviera Orchard Domain Hijacking Incident Involving Meghan Markle

The Duchess of Sussex, Megan Markle’s new American Riviera Orchard lifestyle brand has been hijacked by someone doing a charitable deed in what appears to be a fan of Catherine. 

The UK domain name for Meghan Markle’s new business, American Riviera Orchard, has been bought up. The venture is a lifestyle and cooking brand called American Riviera Orchard, earlier this week Meghan sent 50 jars of jam to an exclusive group of people. The Duchesses business venture was revealed in a social media video last month, with the new venture set to coincide with her new Netflix cookery show.

While the American web link takes you to the Duchesses website for her business venture where fans are able to join a waiting list. The UK domain name has been purchased by someone who has linked it to a Just Giving page for the Trussell Trust, a UK based food bank.

Fans clicking on the link ‘americanrivieraorchard.uk‘ will be taken to a page asking for donations for the UK-based charity. The home page states ‘Forgiveness. Permission. Please donate to the Trussell Trust’, clicking on this will lead to a JustGiving fundraiser for the Trussell Trust charity.

The UK site reads –

“this is not Meghan but hopefully Meghan wouldn’t mind.
thoughts with Catherine, Princess of Wales and his Majesty the King. x

Please note, the purchase of the americanrivieraorchard.uk domain name and this JustGiving page are the full extent of this exclusively charitable mission, someone else is flogging the tea towels!

The Trussell Trust:
Our vision is for a UK without the need for food banks.
We say this because it’s not right that anyone cannot afford their own food. That’s why we are working towards a just, compassionate future, where no one should have to use a food bank to get by.
Our vision is ambitious, but we know that if we work together it is possible. We can create a future where nobody goes hungry, because nobody will allow it – when we work Together for Change “

The Trussell Trust is working to stop UK hunger and poverty. The network of foodbanks provides emergency food and support to people in crisis. The good deed had a £1000 target and at the time of writing over £21,000 has been raised.

Although not ideal, a charity having the UK version of the domain isn’t the end of the world and has resulted in valued funds being raised. This does, however, highlight the importance of securing all the domains associated with your business. The situation could be far worse than a ‘Good Samaritan’ capitalising on the venture to raise much needed charitable funds.

Securing all the domains is crucial for maintaining brand integrity and protecting your online presence.

There could be severe damage done to your business and reputation by your customer base stumbling across another website or business whilst searching for yours.

Businesses have had to become digital to survive, competition is fierce and online identity is paramount, owning multiple domain extensions (such as .com, .net, .org, etc.) ensures that customers can easily find and access your website without confusion. Moreover, acquiring domains with variations of your company name helps prevent cyber squatters from capitalising on your brand’s reputation or redirecting traffic to their own sites. By controlling all relevant domains, you also have the flexibility to create specialised landing pages, implement strategic marketing campaigns, and safeguard against potential phishing attacks.

Ultimately, investing in comprehensive domain ownership is a proactive measure that safeguards your brand’s identity and fosters trust and credibility among your audience.

Looking for Business Name Protection?

If you want more information about how to protect your business name in the UK, contact the Start.Biz team by emailing Info@Start.Biz or by calling 0800 069 9090.

Looking for IP or Trade Mark Protection?

If you wish to gain exclusive rights to your business name, logo, tag line or design within the UK or globally, our parent company, National Business Register Group (NBR) has been assisting businesses in protecting their brand since 1984. Contact NBR on Info@nbrg.co.uk or by calling 0800 069 9090.